The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-10-06

take a drink out of Jacobs WELL and take
sail on Galilee, and read the Sermon on
the Mount while standing on Olivet, and
see the wilderness where Christ was
tempted, and be some afternoon on Cal
vary at about s O'Clock, the hour at
which closed the crucifixion, and sit
under the sycamores and by the side of
brooks, and think and dream and pray
about the poverty of him who came, our
souls to save. But you and | will prob
ably be denied that, and SO here, in
another continent and in another hemi-
sphere, and in scenes as different as pos
sible, we recount as well we may how
poor our heavenly Prince became. And
in the other holy land above, we may all
study the riches that he left behind when
he started for earthly expedition. Come,
let us bargain to meet each other at the
door of the Fathers mansion, or on the
bank of the river just where it rolls from
under the throne, or at the outside gate.
Jesus got the contrast by exchanging that
| world for this; we will get it by exchang-
ing this world for that. There and then
you will understand more of the wonders
Of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
who, "though he was rich, yet for your
sakes became poor.
Yes, grace, free grace, sovereign grace,
omnipotent grace. Among the thous-
ands of words in the language there is no
more queenly word. 1t means free and
unmerited kindness. My text has no
monopoly of the word. One hundred
and twenty-nine times does the Bible
eulogize grace. 1t is door swung wide
open to let into the pardon Of God all the
millions who choose to enter it.
| John Newton sang of it when he
wrote:
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like mel
Philip Doddridge put it into all hym-
nology when he wrote:
| Grace! it's charming sound
Harmonious to the ear;
| Heaven with the echo shall resound,
And all the world shall hear.
One Of John Bunyan's great books is
entitled "Abounding Grace" ''It is all
of grace that / am saved" has been on
the lips of hundreds of dying Christians.
The boy Sammy was right when, being
examined for admission into church mem
bership, he was asked: "Whose work was
your salvation?" and he answered: part
mine and part Gods Then the exam
iner asked: ''What part did you do,
/ Sammy" and the answer was: 81 op-
posed God all I could, and he did the
rest" Oh, the height of it, the depth of
! it, the length of it, the breadth of it, the
grace of God! Mr.. Fletcher having writ
ten a pamphlet that pleased the king, the
king offered to compensate him, and
Fletcher answered: 'sThere is only one
thing I want, and that is more grace. :"
Yes, my blood bought hearers, grace to
live by and grace to die by. Grace that
saved the publican, that saved Lydia,
that saved the dying thief, that saved
the jailer, that saved me. But the riches
of that grace will not be fully understood
until heaven breaks in upon the soul. An
old Scotchman, who had been a soldier
in one of the European wars, was sick
and dying in one of our American
see Scotland and his old home,
and once again walk the heather of
the Highlands, and hear the bagpipes
of the Scotch regiments. The night that
the old Scotch soldier died young man,
somewhat reckless but kindhearted, got a
company of musicians to come and play
under the old soldiers window, and
among the instruments there was a bag
pipe. The instant that the musicians be-
gan the dying old man in delirium said:
Whats that, what's that? Why it's the
regiments coming home. That s the tune;
yes, that's the tune. Thank God, have
got home once more" "Bonny Scot
land" and "Bonny Doom" were the last
words he uttered as he passed up to the
Highlands of the better country. And
there are here today hundreds who are
hOmesick for heaven, some because you
have SO many bereavements, some be-
cause you have SO many temptations,
some because you have SO many ailments,
homesick, very homesick for the father
land of heaven; and the music that you
want to hear now is the song of free
grace, and the music you want to hear
when you die is free grace; and forever
before the throne of God you will sing OF
the ''grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who,
though he was rich, for your sakes be-
came poor.
Yes, yes; for your sakes! It was moi
on pleasure excursions that he came, foi
it was all pain. 1t was not on astrono
mical exploration, for he knew this world
as well before he alighted as afterward
1t was not because he was compelled tC
come, for he volunteered. 1t was moi
because it was easy, for he knew that il
would be thorn and spike, and hunger
and thirst, and vociferation of angry
mobs. For your sakes! Wipe away you
tears. To forgive your wrongdoing, tx
companionship your loneliness, to sooth'
your sorrows, to sit with you by the new
made grave, to bind up your wounds il
the ugly battle with the world and bring
you home at last, kindling up the mist
that fall on your dying vision with tht
sunlight of glorious morn. For you
sakes! No; l will change that. Pau
will not care, and Christ will not care i
I change it, for l must get into the bless
edness of the text myself, and SO I say
''For our sakes!'' For we all have ou
temptations, and bereavements, and con
fiicts. For our sakes! We who deserv
for our sins to be expatriated into wori'
as much poorer than this than this eartl
was poorer than heaven. For our sakes
But what a fruitful coming down t
, take us gloriously up. When Artaxerxe
was hunting, Tirebazus, who was attend
: ing him, showed the king rent in hi
; garment. The king said: ''How shall
mend it?'' "By giving it to me- sal
Tirebazus. Then the king gave him tn
j robe but commanded him never to wea
it, as it would be inappropriate. See tn
I startling and comforting fact, while on
, Prince throws off the habit he not onl
, allows us to wear it but commands us
wear it, and it will become us well, an
! for the poverties of our spiritual state W
may put on the splendors of heavenly IT
galement. For our sakes! Q, the PEI
: sonality of this religionl Not an abstrat
! ton, not an arch under which we wal
to behold elaborate masonry, not an il
q castle like that which Empress Elizabetl
of Russia, over hundred years ago C
= dered constructed, winter with its trow
of crystal cementing the huge hiocks th;